Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I appreciate Dr Wan Rizal and fellow parliamentarians’ initiative for putting forth this motion.
A 2022 survey1 on the wellbeing of small business owners by global small business platform, Xero revealed a startling paradox. In comparison to peers from Australia and the United Kingdom, Singapore’s small business owners ranked highest in levels of work-related stress. Other data-points that made me sit up: 39 per cent were taskmasters who found it hard to take a break from work; 41 per cent expressed a low sense of fulfilment from work.
Driven by a constant sense of responsibility and duty to their business, it is inevitable that many small business owners work intensive hours in intense focus. The pool includes freelancers and self-employed persons, a less visible group of our Singapore workforce who my fellow NMP Ms Usha Chandradas also spoke about. For brevity, I will refer to them as Freelancers.
Spurred on by pandemic fears and financial losses and challenged by the increasingly uncertain business outlook, Freelancers as diverse as photographers, sports coaches, and private hire vehicle drivers have been working relentlessly to rebuild their confidence, business, and savings. Many are now feeling overworked and burnt out.
In my capacity as a Labour representative, I would like to give voice to the concerns of three groups of Freelancers who are hard-hit by internal and external stressors. They are the platform workers, working caregivers, and mature-age small business owners. I would also suggest three approaches that could contribute to improving their mental health and wellbeing.
Platform Workers
First, platform workers.
A 2022 IPS study of private hire drivers and food delivery riders found that 84 per cent worry about not having enough retirement savings. 88 per cent worry about not being able to cope financially if an accident or serious illness befalls them or a family member. Unsurprisingly, 94 per cent reported facing moderate to high financial stress.
What is more worrying is that while nearly two-thirds surveyed professed resilience to the uncertainties of platform work, this is not reflected in their state of health: a significant 44 per cent of private hire vehicle drivers reported that since they started driving, their health has been on the decline.
Because of global challenges and inflation, platform workers expect operating costs to continue to rise. However, many worry that their incomes are not keeping pace. This is because job allocation and trip fares are at the mercy of the black box algorithm of platform operators. Uncertainty can be unsettling.
The upcoming changes in legislation are intended to better protect platform workers. Nevertheless, it is only if the changes are reinforced by shared responsibility of the tripartite of government, platform worker associations, and platform operators can these changes translate to positive outcomes of sustainable livelihood and improved wellbeing of platform workers. To platform workers, sustainable livelihood means knowing that for the same amount of work done, they will receive consistent, transparent, and fair compensation, and not inconsistent and fluctuating amounts; whilst improved wellbeing means giving platform workers the assurance that platform operators’ pursuit of profit and returns to shareholders are not at the expense of platform workers’ health and safety. In this regard, I echo platform workers’ hope for a brighter tomorrow as we await the new legislation to come on-stream this year.
Working Caregivers
Second, Freelancers who are working caregivers. The same IPS study revealed that 46 per cent of the platform drivers and riders surveyed were unable to find other work due to personal reasons such as caregiving responsibilities. For instance, a condition such as dementia impacts more than those living with the condition. Dementia affects about 1 in 10 in Singapore aged 60 and above. This number is set to rise as Singapore ages.
CEO of Dementia Singapore, Jason Foo, shared in a 2022 Straits Times article, “For every person with dementia, one or two family caregivers have to change their entire lifestyle, or give up work, to care for the person with dementia.”
I know of individuals who switched to freelancing because of caregiving responsibilities. I know, too, of Freelancers who dialled back on work because of caregiving duties. Unplanned circumstances can be stress-inducing.
This suggests a need for an inclusive, enlightened, and supportive ecosystem for Freelancers with caregiving responsibilities. Freelancers who are caregivers should be uplifted and supported with the same degree of accommodation and care as what we seek for employees with caregiving responsibilities.
In respect of the freelancer ecosystem, I would like to ask that service buyers and platform operators give leeway in service delivery or incentive framework if the Freelancer or platform worker must respond urgently to caregiving emergencies. Similarly, care facilities such as hospitals and homes could extend consideration to Freelancers who are juggling caregiving and income-earning responsibilities. Some freelancers share of their frustrating experience when liaising with different agencies and facilities that in turn have different levels of empathy and responsiveness to these freelancers in need.
Allow me to share the experience of Ms T, a private hire car driver and sole breadwinner.
Ms T found herself stranded after a second fall at home worsened her aged mother's injury. Ms T sought help from the social worker when she found it challenging trying to juggle the logistics and finances of caring for her mother at home while trying to make ends meet driving. Ms T was told by the social worker that Ms T’s mother did not qualify for subsidised nursing home care. When Ms T tried to find out the reason for rejection, she was ignored. Ms T was left feeling stranded, stressed, tired, and helpless.
Freelancers such as Ms T feel they are held hostage to unproductive and frustrating processes. They find themselves unable to assert their need for empathy and expedience and thus suffer in silence. Freelancers with caregiving responsibilities would benefit from an integrated approach to supporting care recipients and their caregivers. This entails a whole-of-nation commitment to build an inclusive, enlightened, and supportive care ecosystem.
Mature small business owners
Last, mature Freelancers. The Xero study of small business owners found that Singapore’s small business owners under age 30 had higher overall wellbeing levels than those over 50. This could be a consequence of rapid digitalisation.
The acceleration of digitalisation during the pandemic compelled businesses to adapt to new consumer demands. NTUC’s National Instructors and Coaches Association or NICA represents Freelancers who are instructors teaching sports, arts, exercise, or enrichment. During the pandemic, NICA was quick to roll out digital literacy and skills training to equip coaches and instructors to conduct virtual classes. Despite the support from NICA, many mature NICA members struggled with the transition. Unprecedented disruption can be worrying.
This suggests a need for the government to partner bodies such as NICA to provide targeted and sustained funding support for mature Freelancers to procure and upskill in digital technologies and harness these technologies for productivity and business development. Many from this group are financially stretched to part with funds upfront for updated software and technology. Mature Freelancers who are trying hard to cope with the pace of change while overcoming the digital divide and upskilling, would certainly appreciate targeted and sustained funding support from the government.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude on a positive note. Circling back to the same Xero survey, Singapore’s small business owners ranked second in terms of overall wellbeing and life satisfaction. Therefore, despite the challenges, Freelancers are generally optimistic about the future.
I had earlier shared the stresses of three groups of Freelancers in particular – platform workers, working caregivers, and mature small business owners. I have also suggested three approaches to uplift their mental health and wellbeing. Allow me to recap how as a whole-of-nation, we could provide the solidarity and support to improve Freelancers’ mental health and wellbeing:
• First, stakeholders could commit to shared responsibility towards Freelancers’ wellbeing.
• Second, a national level commitment to build an inclusive, enlightened, and supportive ecosystem to support Freelancers with caregiving responsibilities.
• Third, the government could collaborate with freelancer-centred associations to provide mature Freelancers with targeted and sustained funding support for upskilling and to procure new software and digital technologies. This empowers Mature Freelancers with the confidence and ability to strive for sustainable business and longevity of livelihood.
These three approaches can be the game-changers for platform workers, Freelancers with caregiving needs, and mature Freelancers in Singapore. They give Freelancers and Self-employed Persons the confidence to pursue professional progress and personal happiness as viable, intertwined priorities and could be practical next steps in the articulation of this motion.
Madam deputy speaker, I support the motion.
[1] The Global State of Small Business Wellbeing, November 2022 – February 2023. https://www.xero.com/content/dam/xero/pdfs/FINAL%20-%20April%202023%20-%20The%20global%20state%20of%20small%20business%20owner%20wellbeing.pdf
